Jeff Nichols is trying something quite different – and yet still of a piece with the careful character work of films such as Mud – in his latest, Midnight Special. It's a sci-fi thriller that has touches of Amblin movies and Starman, and features his regular collaborator Michael Shannon. Check out the latest trailer, which has some new snippets.
Shannon here is Roy, who discovers that this son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher has some special gifts; powers that make him both a boon to humanity and, in the eyes of some, a terrible threat.
Of course that means that people who don't necessarily have Alton's best interests at heart are soon on his trail, with government agents led by Adam Driver and an extreme religious sect overseen by Sam Shepard’s driven leader, who both decide that Alton belongs with them. The government views Alton as a potential weapon, whereas the religious types think he’s their saviour… Roy knows he has to go on the run alongside the boy's mother Sarah, played by Kirsten Dunst and Joel Edgerton's Lucas, who provides a little protection as they race for a secret location.
For more on the movie, check out the latest Empire, where we talk to Nichols. Midnight Special will be out in the UK on April 8.